Eight things the college football polls got wrong in Week 5

It was a relatively stable week in the world of college football, with several highly-ranked teams on their bye week and only one major upset within the top 25. As such, the polls have done a bit of settling, and there have not been a huge amount of changes to the rankings since this time last week.

Still, there are a few gripes throughout the top 25 and beyond. Here’s a list of eight items from both the AP and Coaches Poll that the voters should have taken a second look at.

Coaches should have Georgia in the top five

Georgia got a two-spot bump this week, moving to No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches’ Poll. The AP got this one right — Georgia’s 41-0 drubbing away from home at Tennessee was enough to catapult the Bulldogs past Washington and into the top five. The Bulldogs have won at Notre Dame, too, and while the Volunteers are having a hugely disappointing season, it’s not exactly a foregone conclusion for anyone to walk in there and win 41-0. The coaches still have the Bulldogs at No. 6, a spot behind Washington in the rankings. Those two should be flipped around.

Wisconsin’s perplexing jump in the Coaches’ Poll

Wisconsin is No. 9 in the AP and No. 8 in the Coaches’ Poll, sitting one spot ahead of Ohio State in both. But the coaches gave Wisconsin a two-spot bump, vaulting them ahead of the Buckeyes.

The Badgers beat Northwestern on Saturday, but they were on upset alert for much of the game. They have not looked as good as Penn State, whom they deservedly sit behind despite both having unbeaten records. The same goes for how they compare with Michigan. Ohio State? The Buckeyes have a loss, at home against Oklahoma, but their victories have been accomplished in more impressive fashion than Wisconsin’s so far. Yes, the Badgers have the better record, but the Buckeyes have looked like the superior team recently.

Virginia Tech should be below Louisville…

The Hokies predictably fell after losing in rather meek fashion to Clemson at home. They dropped four spots in the AP poll to No. 16 and seven spots to No. 19 in the Coaches’ Poll. The writers still kept VT above a Louisville team (ranked No. 17) that lost by more to the Tigers, but did so on the road. Perhaps that was the deciding factor, but the Cardinals, buoyed by Lamar Jackson, look to be hitting their stride once more. Louisville and Virginia Tech are very close in stature, but the Cardinals should get a slight edge based on talent.

…but the coaches punished the Hokies too much

On the other hand, Virginia Tech shouldn’t be hit too hard for losing to Clemson, who are, at minimum, one of the three best teams in the nation. The coaches hit them hard, dropping them from No. 12 to No. 19 for the loss. The Hokies may have been a bit overrated to begin with, and it’s good that they’re still in the top 20. Inching them up a couple of spots to the No. 17 spot or so would be a fairer reflection on where Virginia Tech is at this point, though we like that they have Louisville ahead of them.

San Diego State might be slightly overrated by the writers

The Aztecs defeated Northern Illinois by only six points at home, escaping both an upset and some unwarranted poking. Even though San Diego State sits at 5-0, their latest victory wasn’t the world’s most impressive win. That did not stop the writers from keeping them at No. 19 in this week’s poll — slightly higher than the No. 21 spot the coaches pegged them at. That mark is more fair; the Aztecs are a top 25 team, but not a top 20 one, at least not until they get a better win, or a more convincing set of victories.

How is Florida State the first team out of the Coaches’ Poll?

The Seminoles haven’t shown anything to merit a top 25 vote at this point. They finally grabbed their first win of the season — a 26-19 victory at Wake Forest. Wake is a team that preseason prognosticators would have had FSU beating easily at the start of the season, with or without Deondre Francois. Despite this, Florida State fell just six points shy of returning to the top 25 in the Coaches’ Poll, which is absurd. They’re also the second team out in the AP Poll. This team should be nowhere near the rankings until they show a lot more.

Florida still isn’t a top-20 team

The Gators (21/20) got past Vanderbilt at home on Saturday with another unimpressive win in a season filling with them. They weren’t rewarded or punished, which is fair, but the problem remains that they were overrated to begin with, particularly by the coaches, who have them at No. 20. Florida is not a top 20 team. They have done nothing to demonstrate that they are a top 20 team. Their best win is over a Tennessee team that looks increasingly terrible. They deserve their ranking — barely — but they remain too high.

South Florida gets a bit too much credit from the coaches

USF put up 61 on East Carolina on Saturday to move to 5-0, lifting them to No. 16 in the Coaches’ Poll. That puts them above the likes of Louisville, Utah, and Virginia Tech. South Florida’s problem is the same one that plagues many Group of Five powers — no great wins, and no real opportunities to get them. If the Bulls continue to run the table, they’ll get rewarded in turn, but for now, other teams have more impressive resumes. They have earned their place in the top 20, but the coaches have them a bit too high.